I have a new Walther PPQ!

[JFootin]

I know what you are saying. But there is a reason it is that way. It is much quicker to line up the sights for a self defense situation with the rear sight the way it is. The pistol is designed for use by police, not a target pistol. For us private gun owners who only shoot our guns at the range and most likely will never in our lifetimes use them any other way, better sights are in order.

What kind of sights are you looking at from Dawson Pricision? Night sights? Fiber optic?

[APSKahr]

Yes, I understand the quick versus accurate sight picture but I think you can get a better combination of both than the stock sights. The sight picture like you can get with the Dawson or Trijicon sights gives you the fast enough sight picture while still being able to make accurate hits. Similar sight picture that is on my defensive and competition Glocks which I have classified as Expert in IDPA with. So they are more than "fast" enough for flash sight pictures.
The Dawson sights I am going to get are the 0.145 notch rear and the tritium 0.125 front sight. On the PPQ forum users have reported a slightly tighter than stock sight picture. The Dawson 0.125 rear sight is too tight. The stock Walther rear has a 0.17 rear notch and 0.14 front.

[JFootin]

Sounds good. I read a post that said a lot of instructors are using black rear, FO front and a white tactical light which not only lights up the scene but also the front sight at night. Cool idea! My PPQ is my nightstand gun now, so having a light on it is something I probably want to do. So I may go that way. WTH, having the light on there and maybe a SS or titanium guide rod would add some weight up front and help reduce the muzzle flip, which I am hearing the PPQ does a little more than most compacts.

I put a Dawson FO front sight on my CM9 after the stock one flew off and got lost while I was shooting to qualify for my CC permit. Hard to tell by eye and I don't have a micrometer, but my shooting buddy said he thinks it is taller than the stock sight. My POI was a few inches low until I adjusted my sight picture. The rear FO sight is another $50 plus installation, and I don't want to do that. I may try to get a plain sight that is the right height.

[APSKahr]

Nice. I replaced my stock CM9 sight with the dawson tritium and poi is fine for me though honestly I don't remember if it's different than stock. But Dawson is good with sights and I'm fairly certain dimensions are the same as the stock sight. I kept the rear sight stock.
Not a big fan of fiber optics on self defense guns as I've seen too many rods fall out and they don't help in very low light. Great on competition guns though I suppose.
My PPQ does have more muzzle flip than my G17, I really have to get a good hard grip on it to be able to shoot it as fast. Still not sure if it's going to replace the G17/G21/G26 defensive guns though as I have years on the Glock and button magazine releases. Still though really love my PPQ.
Hey, I was up in Boone, NC at the end of Sept. Man that place is beautiful. Great driving roads!

[JFootin]

Yeah, WNC has some of the most beautiful roads! Great for having fun with a sports car! I was born and raised here, so I have worn out many sets of tires on a variety of cars driving these roads with gusto.

Whenever there is some light, the FO sight glows bright red and is so easy to pick up. I like the idea of using a white tactical light to light things up at night, including the front sight. I use night lights and never like to be in pitch black conditions, so night sights are not of interest to me.

[JFootin]

I finally got time and clearance for a brief range trip to my niece and nephew-in-law's country property along the Cane River a few miles outside of Burnsville, NC. My intentions were to test out the repairs Taurus made to my 738 TCP and to put some rounds through my new Walther PPQ.

The TCP is fixed! I shot the 7 rounds of 90 gr Hornady Critical Defense rounds that were in the gun, 6 rounds of 95 gr Federal Champion FMJs and 6 rounds of 90 gr PMC Bronze FMJs. As always, the CD rounds feed flawlessly and recoil mildly. The Fed bullets are a little large and it is all the gun can do to handle them. I limp wristed one round and the next bullet stuck against the feed ramp. A little push on the back or the slide got it chambered. That was happening more often than not before it went back to the mothership, so I won't buy any more of that ammo. A lot of recoil with the Fed rounds, too. The PMC has much less recoil, but it seems to have just barely enough umph to cycle the slide. On one round, the slide paused in its forward travel and then finished feeding the round about a second later. I will continue my search for some inexpensive range ammo for the TCP. But its perfect performance with every CD round I have fed it since new gives me confidence to carry it as my BUG. I think, too, that more break in rounds will make it more tolerant of ammo choices and me having less than a killer death grip on it when shooting.

I was using my new Caldwell's Plink 'N Swing reactive target at about 7 yards. Very quick and convenient target to use. Made of cast iron and indestructible. One of the target paddles is 3" diameter and the other one is 4 1/2". The TCP is surprizingly easy to shoot accurately, probably because of the smooth, light trigger and its natural pointability. Good thing because I could not see the tiny integral ramp front sight in the shade where I was. I intend to paint it orange along with the ramp front sight on my J-frame.

I shot 31 rounds of USAammo 124 gr FMJs through my PPQ. As expected, not a hint of any issues. The gun does have a fair amount of muzzle flip, as some have reported, but it is a tack driver. At 7 yards, I can use the Plink 'N Swing for quick shooting. I will need to move it further out for it to be a challenge. The USA bullets produce a snappy recoil. I have noticed that also in my CM9. The shooting hand sits up close under the slide, and I felt some discomfort on the inside of my thumb during recoil after a few rounds. Sitting here, I am noticing a small red spot about the size of a pen point at that location. Aha! It is caused by the little hole where the upper frame pin goes. I think if I swap in the smaller grip insert, it will alter my grip enough to eliminate the problem. If not, I may put some tape over the hole or something. When I am done with the USAammo, I will get some WWB 115 gr or something easier shooting. I may also try the CD rounds for carry in the PPQ because of their mild recoil.

The trigger on the PPQ is quite good, with a light take up and then a staging spot where it takes a definite 5+ lb pull to make it fire. So staging the trigger is easily doable for carefully aimed shots, though a quick, continuous .4" pull gets the job done for quicker fire. I didn't experiment with the .1" reset. I am so used to letting the trigger return all the way forward with my CM9 and my J-frame. But I guess I could learn to stay at the staging spot and eliminate the .3" take up. The trigger is almost identical to the Caracal C that I helped a guy break in a while back. The Caracal is a little lighter on let off (4.4 lb I think). Also, the muzzle flip and felt recoil is dramatically less with the Caracal, which has an incredibly low bore axis. The weight, balance and ergonomics of both pistols is superb. I give the nod to the Caracal, though, because it didn't bite me like the PPQ did.

The gun stays on target well. The sights are 3 dot and easy to see. The rear notch is kind of wide for precise longer range work, but is intended for quicker acquisition of the front sight in a life or death situation. The bullets sure seem to go where intended, though, easily and consistently.

I am very pleased with the PPQ. It is from a highly regarded maker who are planning to establish themselves in the USA in a bigger way next year. Caracal are still a kind of unknown quantity with limited presense here.

Sorry, no pics. I was alone and had limited time. I will, of course, get out to the country place and put many more rounds through all of my guns. Here is a link to the website for the country property, which is available for vacation rental: http://www.nuwrayinn.com/farmhouse/farmhouse.html. It is an idyllic location and I am so privileged to have it as my private shooting spot. They also run the historic New Wray Inn (Established 1833) as a charming B&B during warmer months.

[ripley16]

Nice report, thanks. It's always fun to test out a new pistol. The PPQ sounds like a good one. It has a similar trigger to the P99QA I have. IMHO, a very nice trigger on a great gun.

After a very stressful year, my wife and I spent a week decompressing at a cozy cabin near Charlottesville, Va, just of the Skyline Drive. We did an area tour of the many wineries and some antiquing. I also did some shooting off the deck and in the driveway to our cabin. A beautiful way to relax and enjoy doing nothing. This is where we stayed.
http://www.lydiamountainlodge.com/

[JFootin]

Desbiens Gun Leather will now make PPQ holsters!

I have been talking with Rhome Desbiens at Desbiens Gun Leather about a reverse canted IWB holster for AIWB carry. He doesn't list the PPQ, but he said he would check for availability of a blue gun. He just got back to me and said he will make a holster for me. The model I am looking at is the AIWB #4 Hardcore Reverse Cant (R/C) on the IWB Holster page.

A very impressive holster, IMO. If you click to enlarge the picture, you'll see how a G19 rides in one. I have become really sold on the advantages of AIWB carry, and this holster looks like it will make that possible with the PPQ.

His lead time is several months, so he doesn't require payment up front. You order the holster and then they contact you shortly before they can start on your holster and secure payment at that time. The price is reasonable.

[JFootin]

Guns & Ammo Review of the PPQ

He went on a factory tour and has some very impressive things to share about how these pistols are made using the finest CNC machinery, but also hand fitting barrels and slides and doing very thorough quality control inspections. He is blown away by the quality of the button rifled barrels.

http://www.gunsandammo.com/reviews/n...er-ppq-review/

I am very impressed with this pistol. It is so well engineered and of such high quality. I was fortunate to have jumped at the opportunity to purchase it because that entire production run of 9mm PPQs sold out very quickly with only a few still available at exhorbitant prices. I got mine at a real good price. There probably won't be any more available until after the new year when Walther completes their divorce from S&W and gets up and running in their new facility in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

[ken_in_austin]

I am very impressed with this pistol. It is so well engineered and of such high quality. I was fortunate to have jumped at the opportunity to purchase it because that entire production run of 9mm PPQs sold out very quickly with only a few still available at exhorbitant prices. I got mine at a real good price. There probably won't be any more available until after the new year when Walther completes their divorce from S&W and gets up and running in their new facility in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

JF,

I don't recall you talking about your impression of "slide racking effort". How difficult is it for those with weak arthritic hands?

Thanks,
Ken

[TheTman]

Congrats on your purchase J, looks like you found a real winner. I would love to compare triggers with my M&P Pro. Sounds like they are very similiar. On the M&P you take up the slack until you feel reisitance, then its a very crisp 4-5lb break. Closest thing to a single action trigger I've ever shot.

[JFootin]

JF,

I don't recall you talking about your impression of "slide racking effort". How difficult is it for those with weak arthritic hands?

Thanks,
Ken

The slide racking effort is not too bad. Certainly better than my CM9. I'm sure it will get easier with more rounds fired, too. All those huge cocking serrations really help.

[JFootin]

Congrats on your purchase J, looks like you found a real winner. I would love to compare triggers with my M&P Pro. Sounds like they are very similiar. On the M&P you take up the slack until you feel reisitance, then its a very crisp 4-5lb break. Closest thing to a single action trigger I've ever shot.

Sounds very similar. People have to spend lots of money to try and get a Glock trigger this good.

[JFootin]

Walther Arms, Inc. Facebook Page

Here is the facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/WaltherArms. Looks like they are going to giveaway a PPQ soon.

They are coming up to speed and will have the new website up at www.waltherarms.com as of January 1, 2013 when the partnership arrangement with S&W ends.

Here is an introductory post from one of their representatives on the Walther Forum:

Hello Everyone,
As many of you know, Walther is now seperate from Smith & Wesson and called Walther Arms, Inc located in Fort Smith, Arkansas. We are slowly up and running. Just wanted you to know we are now active on Facebook at Walther Arms, Inc and on Twitter @WaltherFirearms. Appreciate your feedback and support of our products.

We will launch a new website at www.waltherarms.com beginning January 1, 2013 when the strategic partnership agreement ends with Smith & Wesson.


Mark Thomas

[JFootin]

An update from Larry Vickers, seconded by a mod

Here is a post from Larry Vickers from the M4 Carbine forum:

Just got a bit of trigger time with the PPQ and here is my initial thoughts;

1) very accurate
2) had a bit more snap than a Glock or M&P which I attribute to slide velocity; slide cycles very fast- still manageable
3) trigger is superb for a striker fired pistol and is already getting even better
4) magazine release is very easy to use
5) seating a fully loaded mag is no problem
6) muzzle flip is not an issue

I have no aftermarket sights yet for it- I like the gun and I am going to run it as my primary for awhile to really shake it out- limited ammo so far but zero malfunctions

Be safe
LAV

I believe this fellow is a mod on the M4 Carbine forum:

Mr. Vickers is definitely qualified to speak to the subject matter, and while I was initially surprised that it took him quite this long to shake out the PPQ, I was not at all surprised by his early conclusions. It is the only polymer handgun that has ever earned a place alongside the 1911s in my kit, and one that may well supplant them in time. It's that good.

AC

Needless to say, this is the way I am feeling about my newest acquisition: